April 2, 2022
The East Central Community College Lady Warrior softball team traveled to Moorhead on Saturday, April 2, and took a pair of wins from the campus of Mississippi Delta Community College, 10-5 in game one and 7-3 in game two. The wins moved the Lady Warriors to 18-14 on the year and evened the squad up at 7-7 in MACCC play. Delta fell to 9-21, 4-10 on the season.
Emmi Harkins dominated the plate for the Lady Warriors as she went 5-for-7 and drove in four runs in the pair of victories. Lizzy Hollingsworth also had a strong afternoon with three hits in eight at-bats with a team-best five RBIs. Emily McDonald, Harkins, Hollingsworth, and Taylor Pittman all posted homers on the day.
Game One | W, 10-5
The Lady Warriors came to life late in the first contest as the team twice had to come from behind to earn the win.
The Lady Trojans of Delta plated two runs in the third inning to pull ahead, but an RBI double from Jayce Currie cut that lead in half, 2-1, in the top of the fourth. A pair of strikeouts from Caroline Jackson in the bottom of the fourth gave ECCC some momentum going into the fifth.
Shante' Beaulieu capitalized on that momentum, and a leadoff walk from Harkins, with a hard-hit double to tie the game at 2-2.
An RBI triple and an error gave the Lady Trojans a two-run advantage in the bottom of the fifth. Again, the Lady Warriors erased the advantage with a pair of RBI singles from Hollingsworth and Harkins to take a 5-4 lead to the home half of the sixth.
ECCC tore the game open in the top of the seventh. The big frame started with a two-run homer from McDonald. Hollingsworth drove in a pair later in the inning with a double, and Harkins immediately followed with another double to push the Lady Warrior advantage to 10-4. Delta got one run back in the seventh, but it was not enough.
Jackson went the distance in the circle and fanned seven batters, her best performance since striking out 10 against Kaskaskia College in February, and walked none. The freshman gave up seven hits and five runs – one earned.
Meadow Villar, Harkins, and Hollingsworth all posted multiple hits in the game, with Harkins and Hollingsworth driving in three runs each.
Game Two | W, 7-4
Mississippi Delta came out firing again in the second game with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. The runs came off an error and an RBI single.
The Lady Warriors hit right back in the top of the second with an RBI single from Beaulieu that plated McDonald who ripped a triple to right.
Two batters later Mattie Hodge hit her own triple, this one plated two runs run to knot the game at 3-all.
Hollingsworth and Harkins continued with the one, two punch firepower in the third as the duo went back-to-back with homers. Hollingsworth's was a two-run shot, while Harkins was a solo. The big hits made it 6-3, ECCC.
The remainder of the game was scoreless with the exception of Pittman's solo-homer to lead off the seventh.
Rae Rae Evans threw a great, complete game from the circle as she gave up seven hits, three runs – none earned – struck out seven, and walked two.
Harkins' three hits led the way at the dish, while Mary Moore Widemire added a couple. Hollingsworth and Hodge had two RBIs each.
Up Next
The Lady Warriors are back at home on Wednesday, April 6, as the team takes on Mississippi Gulf Coast on 'The Mound' in Decatur. Games are set for 3 and 5 p.m. and can be seen at www.eccclive.com/gold.
